Ariel Roblin Named GM OF KETV Omaha

Ariel Roblin, who since May 2010 has been general sales manager of KETV Omaha, Neb. (DMA 76), has been appointed president and general manager of the Hearst ABC affiliate.

Roblin succeeds Sarah Smith, who was named president-GM of KMBC-KCWE, Hearst’s ABC and CW affiliates in Kansas City.

“Ariel is a gifted next-generation media executive with a keen sense of what makes television indispensably important to local communities,” said Hearst Television President-CEO David J. Barrett. “Her experience as a producer early in her career, and her strong record of accomplishment in a variety of sales positions — particularly in her role as KETV’s general sales manager — have prepared her well for this next career step.”

Before joining Hearst Television at KETV, Roblin was general sales manager of both KRCR and KAEF, the BlueStone Television stations in Chico-Redding and Eureka, Calif., respectively.  Before KRCR-KAEF, Roblin was a senior account executive for Emmis Communications’ KGMB Honolulu.

Previously, she was a local sales manager and, before that, an account executive and director of special projects for Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WRGT-WKEF Dayton, Ohio.

She began her television career in Miami as a program director at USA Networks’ WAMI, where she was executive producer of the station’s LIVE! program.

Roblin holds bachelor’s degrees in communications and fine arts from the University of Miami.